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United Technologies Forms Strategic Partnership with Girls Who Code

Friday, April 5, 2019

Initiative is part of UTC’s comprehensive strategy to inspire, train and employ more women and under-represented populations

FARMINGTON, CT -- United Technologies Corp., a leader in aerospace and building technologies, announced a strategic partnership with Girls Who Code as part of a comprehensive effort to help address the under-representation of women and minorities in the technology sector.

The partnership involves financial support, professional mentoring and the hosting of select Girls Who Code programs at UTC facilities. Considered one of the most significant Girls Who Code corporate partnerships to-date, UTC’s commitment is expected to help drive the expansion of Girls Who Code Clubs, Summer Immersion Programs, College Loops, and the organization’s international reach and development.

“We’re thrilled to partner with United Technologies, a company that was recognized by Forbes to be one of the Best Employers for Women in 2018,” said Reshma Saujani, founder and CEO of Girls Who Code. “This partnership will enable more girls to explore computer science, develop tangible skills as students, and engage with accomplished UTC role models of diverse backgrounds who are shaping the future of aerospace and smart cities through new and exciting technologies.”

United Technologies believes that innovation is fueled through workforces that represent a diversity of backgrounds, experiences and thought. In 2017 UTC became a member and signatory to Paradigm for Parity, a coalition of businesses committed to addressing the leadership gender gap. In 2018 UTC committed to an aggressive goal of achieving gender parity across its senior leadership team by 2030. The company also launched a Re-Empower program to help individuals who took a voluntary absence from the workforce—often women who left to raise children or care for family members—get the training, support and confidence needed to re-enter the professional world.

The Girls Who Code partnership is UTC’s latest commitment to advancing gender parity. It is the first in a series of steps that UTC will be taking in 2019 to refocus its STEM investment strategy in support of achieving diversity goals, building technology workforce skills, and driving community engagement in the places where UTC operates worldwide.

“By partnering with Girls Who Code, United Technologies is committing its financial resources and employees’ skills to proven programs that will help address the gender gap that persists across engineering and technology,” said United Technologies SVP and Chief Communications Officer Kelli Parsons. “Our goal is to help young women believe in the boundless career opportunities ahead of them.”

To kick off the partnership, Girls Who Code founder and CEO Reshma Saujani joined Parsons, and United Technologies’ Chief Digital Officer, Vince Campisi, at the company’s Women in Digital Summit at UTC’s Digital Accelerator in Brooklyn. At the event, more than a dozen Girls Who Code student alumni had the chance to meet and talk with UTC data scientists, digital designers and software engineers, and tour the state-of-the-art facility. Saujani shared insights from her latest book, Brave, not Perfect, which documents the need for, and challenges, in trying to close the gender gap in technology.

“In the United States today, women account for less than 20 percent of all graduates with computer science degrees and less than 25 percent of the computing workforce—and the numbers are not so different in other parts of the world,” stressed Saujani. “Thanks to the generous support of companies like United Technologies, we believe that Girls Who Code can achieve gender parity in entry level computer science jobs by 2027.”

About Girls Who Code
Girls Who Code is an international non-profit organization working to close the gender gap in technology and change the image of what a programmer looks like and does. With their 7-week Summer Immersion Program, a 2-week specialized Campus Program, after school Clubs, College Loops program and New York Times best-selling series, they are leading the movement to inspire, educate, and equip young women with the computing skills to pursue 21st century opportunities.

In the seven years since launching, Girls Who Code has reached 90,000 girls in the U.S. and abroad. The organization has nearly 30,000 college-aged alumni, many going on to pursue computer science degrees and secure paid technical internships working alongside professionals in the field. Alumni are declaring majors in computer science and related fields at 15 times the national average. Half of Girls Who Code alumni come from underrepresented groups, and these alumni are declaring majors in computer science and related fields at 16 times the national average. To join the movement or learn more, visit girlswhocode.com.

About United Technologies
United Technologies Corp., based in Farmington, Connecticut, provides high-technology systems to the building and aerospace industries. By combining a passion for science with precision engineering, the company is creating smart, sustainable solutions the world needs.